Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Inkster.
The story of Arbortech truly started from humble beginnings with CEO and Arbortech original tools inventor, Kevin Inkster and his wife, Kristine living in Nannup – a small country town in the South West of Western Australia. They made a living from a combination of driving school buses, farm laboring and mechanical repairs.
From a very young age, it was evident that Kevin had an intuitive, inventive flair. At the age of 18, he came up with the design concept of self-lighting cigarettes which was pursued by unscrupulous investors who told him the idea was unpatentable. However, this didn’t stop the ideas flowing as inventing has always been a love of Kevin’s and he spends his spare time experimenting with all sorts of design and concepts. He is a mad keen follower of all things science and technology related and strives to stay on top of all the latest news in medical and space research but enjoys getting the latest Apple product and is truly in love with his Tesla which he has had for 2 years. Since Kevin bought his Tesla, more than 16% of Arbortech staff have bought Electric vehicles which they can charge while at work. He is also an avid musician who currently plays the ukelele for fun and takes it with him while traveling as it fits easily into his carry on bag. He has managed to start up an Arbortech band with the General Manager, an R & D technician and some factory supervisors who play regularly at Company functions. All of Arbortech’s products are a result of his ideas and his passion for following through until his vision works. “Inventing has always been a love of mine and most of our tools are a result of experimentation. When we formed Arbortech in 1988 to commercialize our first successful product the “Woodcarver Blade” we promised ourselves that we would continue with this philosophy and make sure that the people who work at Arbortech also enjoy their work.” – Kevin Inkster.
In 1984, Kevin and Kristine went into business as cafe owners with another couple. The building required complete renovation and a new commercial kitchen. With limited funds to do the work, he quickly became hands on for the fit-out. This project fueled his interest in woodworking and he started experimenting with new tools in his spare time.
During this time a friend and artisan who was making large tables from reclaimed wood asked him to make some chairs to go with the tables. He continued with his passion for woodworking while learning new skills and making a little extra income from Windsor chair making. At this time, he became frustrated at the lack of suitable tools for freehand shaping of the seat bases and decided to try out his new idea by wrapping a chainsaw chain around part of an old Volkswagen carburetor cover.
Between the years 1984-1987, he experimented with many prototypes and eventually the design evolved through a series of improvements and testing. Some of these tests had him putting the prototypes into a vice and running outside to turn the power on and off.
In 1988, he decided to enter his creation of a Sculpted Reclining Chair (made using a Woodcarver prototype) into a woodworking competition which won the South West Arts Festival’s woodworking prize of $3,000. From here the decision arose as to whether he wanted to continue with his love for woodworking or venture into manufacturing of woodworking tools. The choice was to commercialize the Woodcarver after receiving a $5,000 government grant in June of that year, with an office being set up out of Kevin and Kristine’s home to run their business.
And so Arbortech was officially incorporated. In October 1988, Arbortech attended its first “Timber & Working with Wood Show” in Melbourne, Australia. The Woodcarver made its debut appearance; the live demonstration intrigued the masses and generated much interest from the woodworking enthusiasts who attended. The Woodcarver retailed for $50.00 and completely sold out by the end of the show weekend. Having netted sales of $14,000 from the Woodcarver sales, it was a big achievement for them, and it was clear the teamwork between the humble couple paid off.
The following year, an office was set up in the main street of Nannup. Further success followed when the Woodcarver blade was awarded the BHP Steel award. (A prestigious award in Australia for the innovative use of Steel.)
In 1990, they were able to move from their home office to an office building in Perth. This same year, the demand for the Woodcarver grew and Arbortech received an order of 50,000 Woodcarver blades from Ryobi in the United States.
The increase in sales and business ultimately lead to the expansion of Arbortech and the introduction of a fully fledged R&D Team, focused on Kevin’s other woodworking ideas and the development of the Brick & Mortar Saw. There was now a need for a larger office to facilitate the business operations and activities.
In 1993, a purpose-built corporate office and manufacturing facility at 67 Westchester Road, Malaga was built. Business activity only went from strength to strength from here as Kevin continued his passion for bringing truly unique products to fruition through design and experimentation with his expanded research and development team. The building has allowed the expansion of Arbortech’s woodworking range of tools together with new products and tools for cutting mortar as well as other new technologies for concrete cutting currently being worked on today. These efforts have translated to the preferred tools for many woodworkers and contractors today.
Whilst Arbortech had always included the rest of the world in it’s sales territories and established distributors throughout North America and the UK, the appreciation for Arbortech products was growing. The increased demand for woodworking tools beyond the Australian market together with new demand for the AS170 restoration mortar saw, Arbortech expanded business operations and opened a USA office in 2007 and a European office in 2011.
Whilst woodworking tools are a big part of Arbortech’s product portfolio, Arbortech’s name has been associated with engineering excellence and innovation for the award-winning brick and mortar saw known as the Allsaw, which today is known as the AS170.
A renewed focus on woodworking products saw the release of the TURBO Plane in 2012 and following its success, the release of the Mini TURBO to the Australian market in May 2013 at the Maleny Wood Show. The Mini-TURBO was released to the international market in September 2013.
Today, Arbortech still continues to focus on research and development to bring the best and most innovative products to the market. The most recent product release, the Ball Gouge was launched at the Sydney Woodworking Show in June 2017. Another tool developed by Arbortech from scratch it is a small spherical, ball-shaped woodcutter born from the concept of a countersink drill. While the Ball Gouge appears simple in its design, it is, in fact, the product of countless prototypes and experiments to achieve exceptional safety, balance and performance for end users.
When asked about his vision for the future of Arbortech Kevin says, “We still have a long way to go but we believe we can completely transform all that is “known” or thought to be of “cutting” as a dangerous activity. We plan to continue challenging this with our woodworking cutting tools, masonry cutting tools and even concrete cutting tools to bring about a new generation of safer, efficient cutting tools and methods.”
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The very first challenge Kevin was faced with was a challenge he set for himself, that “There had to be a safer, better alternative to the chainsaw for free-form woodworkers”. This internal belief is what has pushed Kevin to challenge what is accepted and considered the norm. A step further he had the courage, commitment and passion to follow through with making his beliefs a reality. From day one, Kevin’s belief has been that there must be a better way and that he was going to find it through challenging himself, coming up with new, better ideas and experimentation. Today we call this “challenging the norm” and it is a key belief and principle that Arbortech has inherited from Kevin.
When Kevin & Kristine’s product started to be successful, they found their friends and distributors tapping into their hard work and success by copying their ideas and designs. At first, Kevin and Kristine chased them with lawsuits to try and protect their invention, but they had something their copiers did not, a genuine commitment to making better products for a purpose. And after all the lawsuits it became evident to Kevin that they were in a completely different league. A commitment to quality and innovation and making sure it was as good as it could be was the only way to stay in front.
Kevin ultimately made the decision to do it all here in Perth – research & development, manufacturing, distributing, marketing etc. It’s not cheap or easy to do but it’s the only way he could ensure his high ideals were met. “I have come to realize that that inventing is the easy part and that taking concepts from prototype to product to market is far more difficult, especially for a small company located in Perth, which is possibly the most isolated city in the world. Yet that is exactly what we do and for that reason, I believe that Arbortech is my best invention yet.” – Kevin Inkster
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Arbortech story. Tell us more about the business.
We work hard to maintain, and we are very proud of our culture. We at Arbortech believe that everyone has a creative spirit and we continually get enjoyment and inspiration for new product development from seeing our customer’s creativity come to life by using our tools. This, coupled with our innovative philosophy and seeking people and staff who enjoy their work, has resulted in our tools being designed, made and marketed from Australia by people who love our tools and what they stand for. We are proud of our achievements and particularly bringing products into fruition that encourage creativity and purpose for people. The thing that sets Arbortech apart from others is that we truly care about our employees, suppliers and customers by being interested in what they say and do, and acting on this rather than just focusing on profits.
Arbortech is known for innovative products and excellent customer service. We challenge the norm on a daily basis through questioning our practices, processes and products to find better alternatives that are based on efficiency and of course safety. We genuinely care about our customers who believe in us and what we stand for. Without them, we would not be where we are today, and for that reason, we invest in serving them to the best of our ability at every touch point.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arbortechtools.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/arbortechie/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArbortechTools/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
